Blue

I'm off to WI for the weekend to race with an old high school friends and more importantly, hang out. I'm looking forward to the trip and glad to get away. It's been one of those weeks where life feels upside-down and I don't know how to right myself. I haven't been swimming or biking and I'm feeling a little low on running miles too. Ce la vie. Time for bed.

Rump Shaker

I consider myself fortunate that I have a husband with whom I share so much in common with. We're both civil engineers, so we can share work stories, we both love to drink beer, work on our house, and we both like to run. But sometimes togetherness goes too far.

Before we even started trail running or ultras, we had decided our runs together had to be limited. Different paces and different goals made for some unpleasant runs. We used to run at the same time, just different routes. If we ran together, it was usually because I had a tempo run and he had a recovery run scheduled.

Once we started running longer distances, we started running together again. When you're out in the woods for 4+ hours at a time, your spouse should be welcome company, right? Well... It reminded me why we didn't run together. John runs by his Garmin, I run by my body. Usually, half the run was spent by "You're going to fast, you're going to blow up" or "This pace is too slow, it screws up my stride." But my all-time favorite was a comment he'd make while I was leading and usually after he had stumbled or tripped: "Your legs are so muddy I can't see the trail!"

Huh??

So the Limited Runs Rule was reinstated. We agreed upon running together every 6-8 weeks. John doesn't really like people, anyway. I've been doing a lot of running with KT and MO, besides the Thursday night Nerds run and solo recovery runs.

But recently we made a discovery as to why we have the Limited Runs Rule. John said after a Thursday night run, he realized why he couldn't run behind me and always seemed to trip. My ass blocks his line of sight. Those were his exact words: "Your ass blocks my line of sight." To which I promptly replied "On behalf of my ass, I apologize. And that is exactly why my ass and I don't want to run with you."

Now for the gentlemen that may be reading, you should never tell a woman that her ass blocks your line of sight, no matter how large or small the rear end in question may be. A better way for him to have said that would have been "I can't follow you because I just can't take my eyes off your behind and that's why I trip all the time." No damage done. But "Your ass blocks my line of sight" implies that maybe you should be wearing a WIDE LOAD sign on your posterior.

So of course, after this conversation I became a little self conscious of my bum. Do I need a WIDE LOAD sign on my rump? Does it get in the way of other runners? I've lead the Thursday night run on a number of occasions; has my butt been the cause of trail mishaps that I wasn't even aware of? Maybe I could use this to my advantage during races, I'd just have to position myself at the front of the pack and I could box out my competition. Those skinny runner girls won't know what hit 'em! I got junk in my trunk and I'm not afraid to use it!

My ass and I have politely decided to retreat to the back of the pack on group runs and appropriately play the caboose. Heaven forbid my bottom causes other runners undue stress.

For the record: My ass is a size 6 and has covered more miles than I can count. I also used 10 different words for "butt". Any other suggestions?

We're getting close

We did something unexpected this weekend. After our run on Saturday, John and I went home, showered, and took a nap. I forgot how nice it is to do nothing, even if it's only for an hour on a Saturday afternoon. Between work, the homes tour, social events, and training for a triathlon next week and Heartland in a month, I feel like I haven't sit still for more than 5 minutes in the last few weeks.

My schedule is starting to wear on me. I need more than 7 hours of sober sleep, especially on the weekends. Key word: sober. I'm limiting myself to 1-2 drinks a night until Heartland, mostly so I can get some quality sleep. But the running has been going well. I took a week off speed work due to a sinus cold, but I've been getting all of my long runs in. I'm hoping after the tour I can catch up on some sleep and take a few naps.

Right now, I'm averaging 30-35 miles between Saturday and Sunday. This weekend, John, MO and I ran on gravel roads between De Soto and Eudora. It was great Heartland training - gravel roads and no shelter from the sun. We did get to see two Lamborghini's at the gas station in De Soto. Go figure. By the end it was hot and humid, no shade or breeze and the loose gravel was taking a toll. When we were about 1.5 miles from the end, I decided to pick up the pace. I ran the last 1.5 at an 8:05 pace. That made me pretty happy for how hot it was and how much we had already ran.

Sunday, MO very politely put up with me for my second weekend run, which included much more walking than normal. Either way, we were on our feet for another 2.5 hours. This was the first Sunday run where I actually felt fatigued before I even started. John slept in, which made me a little jealous, but I am glad I got that run in. One more weekend of solid running, two weeks of consistent training, and then I start to taper.

After our run this week, I think I have a game plan. Assuming "normal" temperatures, I'm going to run the first few hours at around a 10 min/mile pace walking a few minutes every half hour or so; hopefully that will be about the first 15-18 miles. Once the sun is up and temps have risen, I'll pull back a bit, hopefully to about an 11 min/mile, but I want to take advantage of starting in the dark and the cooler temps. At the turnaround I'll reevaluate and adjust my pace. The last 4-5 miles are mostly downhill, so I'm hoping to pick up the pace at the end.

That being said, I know if it's hot and humid, I'll be walking a lot and running closer to 11:30 or 12. If I overheat, I'm in trouble so my main goal is to prevent overheating at all cost. I think the key for this race is just listening to my body and responding appropriately. If things go well - great. If not, it's just another learning experience. Either way, I've been having fun with Heartland training.

Exhausted

What a fantastically exhausting weekend. It started with several margaritas and a few unnecessary gin and tonics Friday night. Saturday morning came much too early, but MO and I managed to put in 17-18 miles on the trails with headaches and nausea. We called the run early but still put in 3:20. How sick is that, we "only" ran for 3 hours and 20 minutes. Geesh. I'm starting to believe all those people who call me crazy. By the way, Garmin lies. It was very unreliable in overcast weather and dense trees. We did a minimum of 17.

Back at the ranch, John, MO and I worked on our patio and yard the rest of the day. Lucky for MO, we pay in beer and BBQ. With the KC Modern Homes tour fast approaching, we have a lot of work to do but we're making good progress. For house updates, click here. If you're in the KC area, consider yourself officially invited.

Sunday, I basically repeated, sans tequila. I ran 15 miles in town, got breakfast with John and the neighbors, and went back to work. Our neighbor bought a smoker, so Sunday night I ate enough smoked meat that it started coming out of my ears. Today I rode and worked again. Needless to say, 32 running miles, 20 biking miles, and a newly-landscaped yard later, I am exhausted. I already showered and brushed my teeth and I'm just waiting to climb into bed.

KT and I moved our morning speed session to Wednesday since in our minds tomorrow will be like Monday and we usually run on Tuesdays. I'm sure I would have been too slow in the morning to keep up, so I'm glad to take tomorrow as a rest day. I'm hoping Wednesday night to head back to the climbing gym. Between the alcohol, running, working, and inhaling dirt, dust, and debris, I'm feeling a little stuffed up. No more beer until this subsides; hopefully it doesn't turn into a cold. Another reason I'm heading to bed and it's only 9:01 pm. Sweet dreams.

Feeling like a sloth

I feel like a sloth. We've been really busy at work and today was just one of those days where I left the office and my brain felt like mush. I'm pretty sure some may have spilled out of my ears. I should have done something tonight but I didn't think I had the mental capacity to safely ride in traffic and it is an off day from running. So here I am, Corona in hand and waiting for the weekend. Thank God for 3 day weekends.

Rockin' week of running

I managed to total 52 miles of running this week, and I'm pretty sure that's my highest weekly total in the history of forever! Yesterday I did 19 on the trails according to Garmin, so probably a little over and then today I went out and did another 13 on the roads.

I did the 19 with a friend, MO, who let me use his Garmin 310XT and I think I fell in love. That thing is awesome! I loved the vibrate alarm and mile splits. It will be a while until I can buy one since I just picked out some very pricey patio furniture. Ah, home ownership.

Today's run was even better. I left at noon to get some full-sun running in since there is absolutely no protection from the elements at Heartland. My legs weren't completely tired, so I took the first hour of my run at a good pace. Right on the hour mark, I felt the fatigue from yesterday's run set in and I slowed down on the back half. But that is what the second of back-to-back runs should feel like - completely fatigued. Since my longest run is only 24 miles, I'm preparing for the 50 by doing back-to-back long runs on the weekends. By the end, I felt it. I walked up one hill about 2 miles from home and ran the rest in. No 310XT today, so I tried to map out my run on Google.

Worst case, I ran 12.5 miles, but that is taking straight roads (which I did not) so it was probably closer to 13. My overall time: 1:52. For reference, my personal best in the half marathon is 1:56 something. My split at the turn around was 1:01 and that was at 7.5 miles. I'm starting to think I need to try for a new PR in the 1/2 marathon. I knocked out 7.5 miles at an 8:30 min/mile pace the day after 19 on the trails. I know I'm not setting any land speed records here, but for a Midwest farmer's daughter, that's pretty damn fast!

My next task is to see how much sweet-talking/bribery is needed to borrow the 310XT from MO for Heartland. That eliminates the pacer dilemma and would give me some peace of mind about pacing myself through the first half. How many cases of beer do you think one weekend of the 310XT is worth??

Where have you been, my love?

After pulling out my dusty gear bag and brushing off my shoes, I took advantage of my early morning workout and spent yesterday evening at the local climbing gym. I always feel nervous going someplace I'm not familiar with, and the rock gym is one of them. In my two years in KC I've only been there once. I was worried my shoes may not fit right or I wouldn't be able to complete the most basic route or it just wouldn't feel the same as it did when I was in college.

Somethings you don't forget, like how to tie a figure eight knot or how tight your shoes should be. But I had forgotten how much I love climbing. The bouldering area was fairly empty, so I took my time familiarizing myself with the routes and trying to gently awaken the seldom-used muscles in my arms and shoulders. After an hour of fairly continuous climbing, I stepped back to enjoy my surroundings.

My heart was pounding, veins pulsing, and sweat was slowly building on the back of my neck. This is what I love - the thrill of finishing a hard route, the adrenaline of almost, almost falling off the wall, the indie music in the background that mixes with the smell of chalk and salt, the gentle "puff" when you sink back into the thick crash pads. The skilled climbers are mesmerizing, as they move fluidly through an overhang route, gracefully and politely defying the forces of gravity. I see beauty in strength, and strength in the human form.

There is something I love about the fatigue, as well. I can't explain it, it is an exhaustion combined with adrenaline that produces an overwhelming feeling of content. I like to climb until my hands, arms, shoulders, and core have nothing left to give. When the tingling fingertips and twitching muscles can take no more, I head home. Happy, and wondering what kept me away for so long.